3/31/2012

I was out with a client this week and he was looking for some help on climbing trail. Before we met, I asked him what his specific concerns were and his response was about how he gets tired and stalls out.

His description was pretty vague and left me worrying about how I would approach this problem. Add to the fact that here was a person on a budget and he worried about return on investment. Of course I want to be sure I can offer a quality product and his worry kind of had me a little nervous about being able to provide something tangible. Plus he could only afford an hour. Talk about a challenge!

I'm happy to say I feel like we made great progress within that hour! What we ended up working on were a few important techniques that many people don't think about, which will improve their riding and performance immensely.

1. After talking more extensively about the issues, it became apparent that the real issue was planning for the upcoming climbs. Specifically choosing a good gear going into the climb and shifting in a controlled, gradual manner that allowed him to find a good rhythm.

As you come into a climb it's important to anticipate gear choice, otherwise you'll find yourself trying to shift too many gears at once or suddenly trying to push a gear that is too big. The second scenario leads to stalling out on the steep climbs. If you're in too easy of a gear going too fast into a steep climb you loose balance and control.

You can practice good technique by approaching a steep hill at different speeds and effort levels then trying to match the effort you were putting out on the flats to the one going up the hill. The important distinction is to match effort levels, not speed. This might mean you feel like you are going very slow at first, but the goal is to have greater awareness of pedal feel and the balance you gain by having just the right amount of pressure on the pedals.

When it comes to shifting, think of it as the opposite of when you are transitioning to the the flats from a climb. As you come over the top, you don't generally dump a lot of gears and sprint. As you pick up speed, you start shifting one gear at a time as you go faster to match a comfortable cadence. Now reverse that when going up a hill. As you slow down you shift up one gear at a time. The initial "prediction" shift might be a couple gears, but the remaining shifting is best done one at a time. If you shift to too easy of a gear, click down one at a time while soft pedaling at a comfortable cadence until the gear catches up to your feet. It's always easier to click down while soft pedaling then shifting up while under load.

Practice this for a week and you'll notice you're finding the right gear more often and climbing smoother than ever.

2. One of the other important elements we worked on was breathing and pace. Specifically keeping the diaphragm from being closed off. I can demonstrate to you right now how this works. Try to touch your chin to your belly button. Of course you can't do this, but it demonstrates that as you arch your back you close off your diaphragm and make breathing more difficult. A lot of time, when people are on the bike they have an arch in their bike. Your mother would tell you this is bad posture when standing in church, and I assure you it's bad posture on the bike.

If you bend more from the hips, keep your chin pointing forward and let the shoulders relax, it will be easier to breath when riding your bike up big climbs. You can still get a low center of gravity without reducing the oxygen to your body!

Those are just a couple of the things we were able to improve in the hour that we had together. Over-all I felt very good about the session, as did my client.

Originally when he was a little unsure about the value of an hour lesson (I'm cheaper than most), I realized the best argument for investing in a lesson was that unlike buying a new lighter bike part, a lesson doesn't wear out. It only gets better with use. It's worth being more comfortable and happier on the bike, which leaders to better performance.

3/20/2012

Lately as I've been taking more and more people out for lessons I've been getting responses about how what we went over is kicking in a couple days later.
I got this message after having a session with a local bike shop employee.

"I want to thank you so much for the training session. It really wasn't a good day for personal log-related bravery - which is a huge and frustrating obstacle for me right now - BUT!!!! I went to Fair Hill yesterday and all your tips and tricks about handling and cornering really really came into play and I felt like everything in that realm suddenly made so much more sense! That was a great day on a bike! I feel like I am walking on air."

I'm the one who is walking on air after hearing things like that. Her experience, highlights the fact that sometimes it may not feel like you are getting something that someone is trying to explain but chances are high that it will make sense later.

I don't mind if there is a delayed reaction to what I teach. When your body is used to doing one thing, asking it to change patterns might seem hard to do. If it feels right when you get it then keep trying. This is where practice comes in! Always go out soon after a lesson and practice what we went over! You're fun meter will thank you later!

Coaching Services

About Me

Level 2 IMBA ICP (International Coaching Program)
Level 2 MBIT (Canada Certification for Skill Coaching.)
Bringing years of experience as a professional mountain biker to you and yours. I live in Philadelphia PA. Currently race for SantaCruz Bike and specialize in endurance mountain biking as well as endurance downhill races.
I've raced all over the world, competed in dozens of 100 mile races, one world championship, nine multi-day stage races and dozens of other events from 45 minute downhills to 24hr races.
In that time I've seen strong athletes wither in the trails as their bodies and technical skills fail them. My goal is to take riders and athletes into the woods and work with them to become more confident, efficient and stronger riders.

The Mission

1. To give all riders the skills to have more fun, ride longer, and be more confident and safe on the bike.

2. To improve efficiency and technique for riders and racers who want to ride longer and faster.

From beginner to elite riders there is room for improvement. As your confidence increases the fun factor grows and that is what we want to see every rider experience.

TakeAim Cycling believes careful skills progression in a safe environment builds the foundations for every rider to master new skills. Through observation and video analysis we will find the keys to better control and flow on the trails.